Mercedes-Benz Celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Silver Arrows

Mercedes-Benz celebrated its 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows at this year's Concours d'Elegance at Amelia Island. Among the other over 250 rare classic vehicles displayed by the collectors, Mercedes-Benz showcased two vintage Silver Arrows, the W 154 and the W196 R “Streamliner”, together with the 2009 SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster.

“Silver Arrows” is the name that was given by the press to Germany's Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union GP motor racing vehicles between 1934 and 1939, applying later to Mercedes-Benz F1 and sports cars from 1954 onwards.

The Mercedes-Benz W 154 displayed is a part of the Collier Museum's collection."Every record established by a Silver Arrow contributed to a legend that continues to intrigue car enthusiasts to this very day,” said the manager of Mercedes-Benz Classic Center USA, Mike Kunz. Indeed, the W 154 represents the apogee of the supercharger era of Mercedes-Benz's racing vehicles. This vehicle prevailed over the others at the 1938 Grand Prix season, championship that was won by Rudolf Caracciola, and the 1939 GP season that was won by Hermann Lang.

The W 196 R “Streamliner” that was presented is a part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection. The W 196 R counts nine victories, such as the fastest lap and other 8 pole positions in 12 Grand Prix competitions. This vehicle brought Juan Manuel Fangio two championship titles, in 1954 and 1955. Mercedes-Benz's W 196 R came in two different versions, an open wheel variant, named “Monoposto”, and an aerodynamic version named “Streamliner”.

The 2009 SLR McLaren 772 S Roadster was brought here as a modern day “Silver Arrow”, meant to bring an homage to the 300 SLR, the vehicle with the 772 starting number which achieved the historic win at the 1955 Mille Miglia open road endurance competition that was won by Sir Stirling Moss and his co-driver, Dennis Jenkins.